


Mechanical Heart

by Squishiez



Category: Gorillaz
Genre: Betrayal, El Mañana, F/M, Noodle misses home, Reunions, murdoc is an ass in this, precious 2D, takes place in an alternate "Rhinestone Eyes"
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-06
Updated: 2017-10-06
Packaged: 2019-01-09 15:36:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12279414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squishiez/pseuds/Squishiez
Summary: Noodles doesn't quite like what she goes back to, how could they replace her?





	Mechanical Heart

The small pink plastic island was in their sights. Russel being a giant now would probably get them there in less than five minutes. Noodle had waited fours years to reunite with her band members but now she wasn't so sure if she was ready for this.

The anger she felt towards Murdoc for all the pain he caused her had built up over the years. The _El Manana_ was all his idea! He had told her she would be perfectly safe. Hearing that, Noodle agreed. Back when she was ten she didn't perform in that many songs. She performed in 19-2000, she was in the video for Clint Eastwood, and she had Dare when she turned 14, she also had small appearances in others. Of course she would go through with having a video of herself! Besides, the song sounded wonderful. Though, it never turned out the way that Murdoc promised. He was the one who dragged her into her life of hell but he didn't even try to save her and even if he did try it wasn't because he cared about the young girl. No, it was because he needed Noodle for the music.

She shook her head, she didn't want to think of him or that stupid fall.

Then there was 2D. She did want to see him again but she didn't feel stable enough. She was a broken girl or maybe even a woman now. She wasn't ready to let all of her emotional floodgates open up yet.

Though, most of all, she knew she wasn't the same Noodle everyone expected. She was grown up. Noodle wasn't the optimistic, energetic, 10 year old anymore.

She wasn't their Lil Noodle.

She just didn't want to disappoint anyone.

Just that thought cause Noodle to make sure her mask was covering up her face. This noodle was scarred and she'd rather hide that from the world, her bandmates, and to an extent, herself.

"We're almost there, lil lady." Russel's voice interrupted her thoughts.

She continued to just stare at the island as she responded.

"Okay, arigatou, Russel-san." Her voice was rather quiet as she spoke even though her mind was racing and roaring with different thoughts and ideas and outcomes. Yet she was glad. Screaming and causing a commotion would just cause Russel to get concerned for her and she knew neither of them needed that right now.

She sighed.

What would 2D think of her now? She didn't really care but she wondered what Murdoc would think too. Russel was as caring as he always was to her and she appreciated that! He was always seen as the father figure in her life and she couldn't thank him enough for being around for her, even now. She was rather glad he was the first she was reunited with because he was also the easiest for her to come back around for.

She observed the small waves and memorized their short and calming patterns. Noodle couldn't pinpoint why but the waves reminded her of 2D and his music. His voice was so calming.

The music was the biggest reason she wanted to return.

Surprisingly the events of _El Manana_ didn't affect her love and passion for music at all. She just didn't enjoy the sad tones she had been using in her lyrics whenever she got free time.

Nothing was the same.

* * *

Arriving on the beach was not like she expected. Noodle knew the beach was made completely out of plastic but for some reason her feet had expected to sink into sand, sadly she didn't get that satisfaction, only the sound of her boots clanging was given to her.

"What the hell is going on out here!?"

She definitely knew that voice.

"Russel?"

 _Kami, I'm not ready for this._ She told herself as she saw Murdoc approaching the two of them. He didn't recognize her, at least not yet because he only acknowledged Russel. He did look at her but not in the way you would look at an old friend, no this was a foreign look he gave her.

She wasn't acknowledged.

Just like it had always been with Murdoc.

She scoffed. He was such a prick and that would never change. Unlike her, so people just don't change, don't mature, don't care.

"Why the fuck are you a giant and who the hell is this girl?" The tone in his voice was able to make Noodle even more mad at him than she had already been. She knew he didn't recognize her but he definitely recognized Russel and he didn't even seem the slightest happy about it.

"Good to see you too, Murdoc, but I'd prefer if you didn't talk to the little lady like that." She felt a smile form on her lips at Russell's words, though nobody was able to see it due to her mask covering her whole face.

Then again Murdoc didn't deserve to see her smile. He put everyone through so much just for his beneficial gain.

"Wait, is that you Noodle!?" He asked in his raspy voice. Hearing her name mentioned made her stomach knot up. She didn't know what to say. All she knew was that her anger was consuming her.

Russel looked down at her and nodded in support of whatever she wanted to do. She appreciated the gesture and bowed back to show her thanks to the man.

She looked back at Murdoc with cold eyes, hidden from his view and didn't hesitate to show the things she felt.

"Who else would it be?" She laughed bitterly. "I mean, its only been four years since you caused my life to become a living hell." She said sarcastically causing an eye role from Murdoc to be thrown at her.

It didn't faze her though, even if she was absent for four years, she was still used to his rude attitude.

"Looks like your body isn't the only thing that matured, your attitude did too, Noodle."

She ignored that comment and continued to walk further away from Russel. Murdoc most likely thought she going to walk to him but he was wrong. She gave him a swift kick to the knee before walking past him to look for 2D who was surely inside.

At least he would surely be happy to see her.

* * *

It actually took Noodle almost half an hour to find 2D but she didn't mind as long as she got to see him again. The poor man always had something bad going on and she wished she could have helped with it over the last four years.

She would have if she could but she wasn't safe and running was her only option. If she would have came back, they would have hunted her before she got there or she would have gotten everyone killed.

None of that mattered right now.

Noodle was alive, she was reunited with Gorillaz, and she wasn't going to be found now.

Noodle was alive.

Then again, the old Noodle was dead.

So, when she peeked into the metal door's window she felt her stomach shrivel up when she seen 2D shaking in a corner.

He looked terrified and he kept taking quick glances out the window that showed the ocean. Was there something out there he was scared of? She would take care of that later, for now she just wanted to talk to him because Murdoc was useless when it came to happy reunions.

She put her hand on the knob and opened it slowly to not alarm the boy or make him panic, it would give him time to notice someone was entering before he had to actually interpret that the once 14 year old girl that had supposedly died was in his room. Plus he was most likely high on painkillers, a sudden popup would make him think she was a hallucination.

She stepped in and she saw his head look up at her and she was rather surprised when his eyes looked disgusted at the sight of her and quickly looked away.

"What does Murdoc want now?" He said simply, a sadness in his voice. One that was familiar to Noodle. Though, it was more intense than it had ever been.

"Toochi, it's me, Noodle!" She tried to sound as childish as she could to cheer him up, to remind him and herself that she changed but Noodle was alive and well.

Saying that didn't seem to help. He just put his head in his hands.

"Why would he program ya to pronounce my name like that? To mess wif me?" His mispronunciation of words came to her mind and made her smile slightly but his words only confused her.

Why was he treating her as if she never left? Programming? What was she a robot!? If not in this situation she probably would have laughed but 2D wasn't one to mess with her head. He was always super nice to her.

So, something must've been totally wrong, Something she didn't know about.

Noodle didn't like the sound of that.

"I don't know what you're talking about, toochi, but I just.. Want a hug? Like old times." Noodle spoke, lifting her mask up slightly to reveal the lower half of her face so she sounded less muffled and it wasn't until that point that 2D stood up and acknowledged her with a happy to see her attitude.

It took him a second to stand due to being on his painkillers but when he managed he couldn't slow himself down as he ran to embrace his little Noodle.

"Its really you, lil love! Murdoc said you were dead and I beliefed ya were too! Its so good to know you are the real you!" He said quite loudly in her ear but she didn't mind at all.

He was apart of her home, same with Russel, and maybe she could find the kindness she once had to forgive Murdoc or at least be able to stand him.

Though, she was curious on what 2D was rambling on about but she didn't bring it back up, she didn't want to ruin the moment of meeting with 2D again. So she kept quiet and talked about what they were going to do when they left the island. Most of the answers was watch zombie movies and eat until they couldn't breathe.

Noodle liked the sound of that.

* * *

Noodle and 2D went back outside to where Russel and Murdoc were chatting or arguing. Noodle was hesitant but she knew she had to communicate with Murdoc in order to learn how to move on with her life.

But something felt wrong.

"How could you do that to the baby girl!? She was only fourteen when she went missin and you replaced a child with a murder machine!"

Noodle heard Russel's shouting and immediately knew something must've happened between the two. An argument was going to happen no matter what. Russel and Murdoc had a lot to say to each other she the four year separation, or at least she guessed that's when Russel left.

She walked between the giant and the green satanist and sighed.

"Shut up, both you!" She paused, mumbling foreign curse words that they surely didn't understand. "Tell me what's going on."

"Well, this fucker's mad ova a mere robot I built, a perfect robot at that."

Noodle didn't really understand the point of this whole argument. She smirked under her mask. It was Murdoc, of course he would build a robot. Even satanists got lonely.

Honestly, she scratched her head in confusion as Russel seemed to have growled. Why was he so worked up over this?

"Master Murdoc-sama, 2D isn't in his room. Repeat, 2D isn't in his room!"

That's when she seen Murdoc and Russel flinch and 2D had put his hand on her shoulder to try and support to what she was about to turn around and see. Though, nothing helped the feeling of betrayal she felt.

It was her, but it wasn't.

This was the cyborg? Her? Murdoc had her replaced with a robot!? Her fists clenched at the sight of the _thing._ It was a disgrace. After everything Murdoc had done to her, he had to replace her with someone else, a being who looked like her but seemed to have no emotions, her only function being to obey.

Noodle could feel something growing in her stomach. Anger, betrayal, sadness? She wasn't sure.

2D replaced his hand on her shoulder, showing obvious support after his hand had been knocked off when she turned around. She didn't miss how soft his eyes were when he looked at her and how they hardened when looking at that replacement.

That was enough to let Noodle not kill Murdoc.

"You are a fuckin ass, Murdoc-sama."


End file.
